RV Rally and Heading Home

We want to thank all of our friends and family that have followed our blog.  I hope you enjoyed our pictures and discussions.  We are now home safe and will begin to plan our next trip!

Day 30 – (Sunday, 11-4-12) Rally over and heading home…

We awoke earlier than normal, since Daylight Saving Time had changed overnight! We both decided to ride our bikes around the speedway track, as this was allowed prior to 9 am.  There were many people walking and riding bikes around and it was amazing to realize up close how steep the track is around the turns. The rules were not to go up onto the track above the flat lane; but Kurt (the breaker of all rules) just HAD to ride up the slope, which he found quite difficult! I was able to get some pictures of him on the track. We both took pictures and Kurt videoed his ride around the track.

After the ride and breakfast, we both again attended seminars. I went to one on RVing to Alaska and Kurt attended one about making money as an RV delivery driver. Kurt decided that the money is not worth the time and cost involved, so he won’t be doing that job in retirement!

After noon, we packed up the RV to head home. It was an easy 3.5 hour trip, with one stop for diesel fuel. We arrived at the house about 6pm, it was already dark….  Ugh hate this time change.  Anyway, we are home safe, the boys were so excited to see their home again!

What a wonderful month-long trip we had.  We are looking forward to our next extended road trip. Hopefully, in late spring we will head up to Wyoming!

Day 29 – (Saturday, 11-3-12) We bought a new RV!

On Saturday morning we both attended more seminars. I went back to the Geeks on Tour and listened to their presentation on getting and using internet access on the road. Most of the information I was already aware of, but I did learn some new things that will help in our travels. Kurt attended a seminar on RV battery maintenance. It seems there is always something new to learn about. After getting some lunch back at the RV, we went to speak with the Camping World RV dealer to talk about the RV pricing. After much discussion and negotiating, we made an offer they accepted. So the bottom line was a special order new RV with an upgraded electrical system with 50 amps. The delivery time is 4-6 weeks, so we should have it by Christmas. Well, I guess we’ve blown our Christmas budget! Actually, we got a better deal than we ever expected. So our old RV will be on the market immediately, as soon as we get it cleaned up and maintained.

After returning to the RV, we celebrated with Happy Hour and snacks. We then prepared to go to the concert for the evening. Reba McEntire was performing and we are fans, so we were looking forward to the concert. We walked to the Main Stage, which was facing the grandstand of the Speedway. Reba sounded great as usual and we truly enjoyed her music!

Wow, what an exciting day for us! We celebrated with a late evening Happy Hour and some dinner. We’re so excited about the new RV and can’t wait until we get it! 

Day 28 – (Friday, 11-2-12) Good Sam RV Rally

After a chilly night, we awoke and made coffee to get our morning rolling. We looked over the Rally program to finalize the seminars that we each wanted to attend.  I went to a techy seminar on using trip planning software, presented by a husband and wife couple, who call themselves ‘Geeks on Tour”. The seminar was very informative and presented three different trip planning software packages. This will definitely help me in planning our future journeys. Kurt decided to attend a seminar on Trailer tires, brakes and suspensions. He was able to learn a few new tips that will help him in the future. Next, we then both attended a seminar regarding kitchen stocking, efficiency and proper use of appliances. This lady was very knowledgeable about electrical requirements for appliances in the RV. We both learned a lot about the electrical issues with RVs. Since we were camped inside the speedway, we were able to go back and forth to our trailer.

We were glad to have the bikes to move around as we needed, since the trams they ran were slow to get to the main events area. The Speedway is so huge, it’s hard to imagine watching a NASCAR race there. We went back to the trailer to fix lunch and let the dogs out. They were happy to get out and run a little.

After lunch we decided to spend some time in the exhibitor’s tent to look at supplier’s goods and services. We found lots of items that we wanted to purchase, but decided to try to find them at better prices online. After awhile, we went out to the RV dealer’s lots to look for our dream RV. Since we have been researching the perfect RV for us, we already had a brand and model that we knew is perfect for our needs. We looked at various RV travel trailers that were similar to the one we liked, but none of them met all of our requirements. We found the Keystone Outback dealer and was able to find the exact model that we want! The travel trailer is an Outback 277RL, which means it is almost 28 feet long, has a rear living area (with kitchen), separate bathroom and separate bedroom. We had been hoping to find a used one or last year’s model that had been unsold.  But to our disappointment, there were none. The Camping World dealer made us a great offer on a new 2013 model, but we wanted to discuss this more between us and sleep on it. After doing further research online for this model, we decided the deal they offered was VERY good, but Kurt always negotiates further. We decided to go back to see them the next day.

After going back to the RV and fixing some dinner, we went back to the events area and attended a concert by Kenny Rogers.  Well, he was okay, but his singing talent is not what it used to be. We left the concert early (it only lasted an hour anyway) and headed back to the RV for the remainder of the evening.

Good Sam Rally - Daytona Beach

Day 27 – (Thursday, 11-1-12) Arrive at Good Sam RV Rally

After having a wonderful breakfast prepared by Stephen (good old southern biscuits and sausage gravy) we enjoyed spending some more time with my family. Kurt and I got ourselves and the RV ready to roll on down the road to the Daytona International Speedway. We arrived there around 3:30 and drove into the infield. We completed our registration and received all the details of the Rally, trade shows and events. The RV was setup as usual and we were ready for Happy Hour and some dinner. The dogs were worn out and hit their beds early. We are “boondocking” here in the infield (that means our own water & power). This is the first time we have used our generator to run the main power. So far, so good. We’re looking forward to tomorrow, the events and RV show.

Day 26 – (Wednesday, 10-31-12) Heading to Daytona Beach

We finally made it out of camp in Savannah, and headed to my sister’s house just south of Daytona Beach. We arrived there around 4:00 pm. Suzi, Stephen, Steve and Derek (Stephen’s sons) were all there. They have a very nice home way out in the boonies (sort of like our situation). The 2.5 acre lot is really nice. We enjoyed Suzi’s pot of chili for dinner, along with drinks and lively discussions. We all enjoyed our evening together and it was great to see them again, especially at their home. We stayed in the house with our dogs, who were pretty well behaved. After a late evening, we went to bed around midnight.

Last day in Savannah

Day 25 – (Tuesday, 10-30-12) Errands & Relaxation

The morning started very cold and windy. It must have been in the upper 30s last night. Thank God we brought the portable electric heater; we’ve used it several times on this journey. But it seems to be cool just about everywhere. But, we’re enjoying it and will be ready to “winter” in Florida.  Neither of us are cold weather people! Kayaking was still out of the question and it was still too windy.

We had some errands to do that required us to go into town to shop. Dog food, our food, banking, etc., we got accomplished and then headed back to camp. We did some housekeeping, gathering wood for a campfire, etc. Kurt decided to go trail biking for awhile to unwind, it’s scary how much he and Kody can’t sit still for very long… I decided to relax in my style and actually sit out in the sun (with all my winter clothes on) and read my book. While I was sitting out there, the wind was whipping and suddenly a huge dead branch fell down from one of the trees! Glad I wasn’t hit by it, but the weird thing is just a little earlier we were discussing how we could get some firewood! Wow, Kurt just had to break it up a little…

Dinner was prepared, grilled chicken thighs (one of our favorites). We began getting some of the camp chores done early to prepare to leave. We want to get an early start tomorrow, as we head toward Daytona Beach. We will be staying with my sister Suzi and her husband Stephen. We are looking forward to seeing them; it’s been awhile, and they have a new house that we haven’t seen!

We sat around the campfire for awhile before the fire waned and it got too cold to sit outside. We went inside and watched TV for awhile, then got ready for bed and our journey tomorrow.

Exploring Tybee Island

Day 24 – (Monday, 10-29-12) Tybee Island!

This morning was colder than it’s been since we have been here, it was in the low 40’s¸brrrrr….  Kurt and I decided to go for a hike with the dogs in the morning, and then just the two of us will drive over to Tybee Island to explore that area.

We took the boys on a hike here in the park, the Sandpiper Trail.  The boys enjoyed getting out for a run/walk in the cool morning air. We just wanted to get some of the energy out of them so that they would sleep when we left them in the RV. It was also a very nice hike and we all enjoyed it. We took the boys back to the RV and got ourselves ready for the trip to Tybee Island.

Tybee Island is about 20 miles from Skidaway. It’s an easy drive and very scenic. We also took our bikes as the map showed a bike path on the island. We parked on the beachside near the pier and found a restaurant that served fresh seafood. Both of us had been craving local seafood. We sat on an upper outside balcony and had a wonderful lunch! I had a fried shrimp basket and Kurt had a blackened grouper sandwich. It was all wonderful! The view was great and the atmosphere was perfect. After eating, we went back to the truck and got our bicycles ready to ride. We rode north on the island bike route, until we reached the Tybee Island Lighthouse. We decided not to pay admission to go up into the lighthouse (we're on a fixed income now!), but we took some great pictures from the outside. There was also a small fort on the beach side, which was used during the Civil War. There is so much history in this area, it’s amazing. We then decided to ride our bikes back down the beach to the pier where our truck was parked. It was actually quite a nice ride, as the wind was at our backs and the beach is hard packed sand. We then headed back to the campsite, after making a couple of shopping stops.

After dinner, we were all tired and went to bed early. It was very cold outside and we buttoned up and turned the heater on.

Savannah & Skidaway Island State Park

Day 23 – (Sunday, 10-28-12) Exploring the area!

After breakfast, we decided to ride our bikes around the park and the nice trails! The trails were well maintained and took us by the salt water marsh area of the park. There were displays with some historic information about the island and the area. We went up into an observation tower to see the marshes and water channels. The weather was beautiful, but with a slight chilly wind. It made the bike ride even better.

Since the kayaking here is limited to the salt water marsh, we decided to go exploring in the city of Savannah. We took the dogs as we were told that Savannah was very dog friendly. Our first stop was at the visitor’s information center in the city. We received great advice for a walking tour of the historic area and riverfront. The boys were with us and got their first “city hike” experience. The tour was very informative and we learned some historic facts around the city. The city was a “planned” city and has park squares every 3-4 blocks.  It’s very lovely and we were amazed at the huge live oak trees everywhere! The historic buildings and homes were magnificent. Looking at the original cobblestone roads and brick seawalls was amazing; making us think about how this city has been around since the early 1700’s.  After a couple of hours, we decided to head back to the campground.

After arriving back at camp, we took care of some housekeeping and getting ready for dinner and the evening. We prepared hamburgers for dinner and Kurt made a campfire. As the evening went on, we went inside the RV since the temperature was getting colder as the fire waned.  We settled down inside for some TV and updates on the hurricane. Bedtime was upon us and we were tired, as we did have an active day.

Day 22 – (Saturday 10-27-12) Heading to Savannah

Due to Hurricane Sandy’s weather effects in S. Carolina, we decided to cut out a day early and head to Savannah. We disconnected and shut down the RV in a misting rain and some wind. The drive south today is only about 3 hours, so we will arrive there late afternoon.  We drove mostly the back roads to see the local flavor of the south. The drive was uneventful, after a stop at Walmart to provision more food and supplies. We arrived at Skidaway Island State Park near Savannah around 4:30 pm. We were able to pick our RV site and found one that backs up to a natural area and the campsite was HUGE! The dogs love it, as we allowed them to run and roam free with our supervision. The campground was sparsely occupied, probably many cancelled due to the storm.  We setup quickly and got ready to make dinner; which was tacos and guacamole, one of our favorites!

We went to bed fairly early and wanted to be rested for whatever the next day had in store for us.

Exploring Huntington Beach State Park

Day 21 – (Friday, 10-26-12) Exploring Huntington Beach S.P.

We woke up early and took the boys to the beach for a morning run. They both enjoyed the walk/run, but Kody broke out in a B500 and was crazy! He really needs to get in a good run often. The weather was not as great as we had hoped for; due to Hurricane Sandy, which is heading up along the east coast and expected to cause rain and wind here by tonight through tomorrow. Tomorrow’s forecast is even worse, with more rain and wind.

After having some breakfast, we got our stuff together to go kayaking. Murrell’s Inlet is just a couple of miles north of the park. We took the kayaks and launched on the salt water marsh near the inlet. We paddled around in the marsh, which has many channels. There were many people fishing from small boats and also in the shallow waters clamming. The weather was not too bad, just overcast and windy. As we paddled against the tide and into the wind (one of these days we’ll do it the easier way), the wind was becoming stronger and we headed back to the launch after paddling about 2 miles. It was an okay paddle; at least we can now say we paddled the salt water marshes in S. Carolina.

We decided to head back to the RV and go for a bike ride. The park has several trails and one that heads north to the inlet. We rode the trail through the park until it crossed over the dunes to the beach. We then rode on the packed sand beach about 2 miles to the inlet (into the wind again). We walked out on the south jetty and watched the growing waves. We headed back down the beach until we were back at the park. By this time, we were ready for Happy Hour! The dogs were ready for another run, so we took our drinks, chairs and dogs down to the beach for another relaxing evening libation!

After returning to the RV, we began preparing a dinner of Kurt’s chicken chili. After dinner, we started a campfire to enjoy for the remainder of the evening. We were exhausted and went to bed fairly early. For once, we were more worn out than the dogs!

Day 20 – (Thursday, 10-25-12) Heading to S. Carolina

So we did get out of bed before 6am! We unhooked the RV and prepared for our trip south to Huntington Beach State Park. The first leg was to drive south on Hatteras Island and head to the ferry docks, where we would then get to the island of Ocracoke. From there, we drove down to the south end and the ferry docks. This ferry ride would take 2 hours and drop us off at Cedar Island. This part of South Carolina is very remote and predominately fishing villages. It reminds me so much of where Bubba Gump’s had his shrimp fishing boat. From there we headed toward highway 17 south, which pretty much follows the coastline. We drove through multiple small towns along the way, including Myrtle Beach, which was only about 10 miles from the campground. We finally arrived at Huntington Beach S.P. and setup the RV. We were all very tired after the 7 hours of travel. After having some dinner, we went to bed early.

Tour Hatteras & Ocracoke

Day 19 – (Wednesday, 10-24-12) Tour the Outer Banks

We awoke early and walked over the dunes to the beach. The sun was just beginning to rise and it was awesome! The weather was perfect and we walked down the beach with the dogs. It was a great way to start the day.

Next, we got ready to head down the road to Ocracoke. The drive took us to the south end of Hatteras, which is about 29 miles from our campground. The drive is a two-lane road down the US12 to Hatteras Bight, with the ocean on the east side and Pamlico Sound to the west. It’s mostly all preserve areas with some beach and sound accesses. The road is dotted with several small towns. At the end of the island are the ferry docks. We got in line and were able to get on the 11:00am ferry. After loading the ferry, we were on a very pleasant ride. It felt really weird for the truck to be moving and no one is driving! We left the dogs in the truck and we were able to walk around the ferry deck. The ride over was nice and the weather was perfect. Upon arrival, the ferry was unloaded and we drove onto Ocracoke Island and explored the Village of Ocracoke. We stopped at the lighthouse to get some pictures. It was lunch time and we found a great little café where we could eat outside and have the dogs with us. We then headed back to the ferry docks and made the return trip to Hatteras.

Prior to leaving Ocracoke, we discovered that we could continue our journey by taking our truck and RV on a second ferry ride that will put us further south, closer to our next destination. This will save us many miles of driving north on Hatteras, then west and south, making a huge loop. We made the plans to take our rig via this route and save us some time on our trip. The last ferry ride will also save gas for our route south.

After arriving back at the RV, we decided to have Happy Hour on the beach. We took our drinks, chairs and dogs over the huge dunes and enjoyed a little time on the ocean. The beaches here are very nice and wide. They also allow vehicles on the beach; but obviously, 4-wheel drive. Apparently, the fishing here is really great and many fishermen are surf fishing. We walked on the beach with the dogs and headed back to the RV. There is much to get ready for our departure tomorrow and the trip back to the ferries to head south. Our destination tomorrow is Huntington Beach State Park in S.Carolina. This is just north of Charleston and is right on the beach. This location will provide more opportunities to kayak in the marshes and swamps around that area.

We then prepared dinner and got ready for bed. We HAVE to get up early to catch the two back-to-back ferry rides to get us to our next destination.

Day 18 – (Tuesday, 10-23-12) Travel to Outer Banks

We woke up fairly early, around 7:30. Began final preparations to pack up the RV and hit the road again. We ate breakfast then finished getting everything in the truck and RV. After saying our farewells to everyone, we headed out for the Outer Banks. The route would take us due east toward the coast of N.Carolina. The drive time was about 7 hours, and we had a stop for lunch and then another Walmart stop for food provisioning. It seemed like the drive would never end, we actually arrived a lot later than we had anticipated. Our RV park is on Cape Hatteras, about midway down the island, right on the beach. We were able to setup and connect the RV in record time. We were hungry and tired from the long haul. We decided to first unwind with drinks and a walk on the beach with the boys. The evening sky was clear and the large crescent moon lit up the beach.  It was relaxing and felt good to have sand between our toes again. The boys really loved running on the beach, as they had been cooped up all day in the truck.

Dinner was again leftovers, which was just enough. We discussed our plans for the next day and finally decided to just tour the island and go south to Ocracoke. We went to bed early, as we were going to try to get up for sunrise in the morning.